China

France’s international priorities and France and China’s strategic partnership

Mr President, distinguished teachers, ladies and gentlemen, dear students,

I have excellent memories of my two visits to your University, and the stimulating discussions I had with your older peers or perhaps even with some of you.

When Chancellor Xue told me about the “international relations and global governance” programme at your university and asked me to come and speak here as part of it, I accepted with great pleasure.

With this programme, Nankai University is expanding its already vast international openness and furthering mutual understanding.

This year, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and the People’s Republic of China. General Charles de Gaulle’s France was indeed the first major Western country to establish diplomatic relations with China, thereby giving our relationship a pioneering nature. Our strategic global partnership, founded 33 years later in 1997, has grown as our relations have developed and as China’s international role has clearly been established. This strategic partnership now concerns all areas – politics, the economy, science and culture – as well as the major international issues and it will be reinforced by the next official visit to France by President Xi Jinping.

With this in mind, my remarks today will focus on the priorities of French foreign policy and its implications for France and China’s strategic partnership, as an example of global governance.

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As you know, a country’s foreign policy is largely determined by history and by geography.

Let us first talk about French geography: my country is a medium-sized country with a population of 66 million, second in the European Union, which is constantly on the rise thanks to our relatively strong birth rate, and that is an advantage. We are the fifth leading economic power in the world, but it is clear that, although we are developing, growth in much bigger countries will inevitably see them overtake us in the global ranking.

That is where history – and the project – intervenes, in addition to geography. France is one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, a nuclear-weapon state with projection forces, a nation with a great deal of culture, language and science outreach. It is a nation recognized because of its values and its soft power. Our diplomatic network is one of the most extensive in the world. The Francophone world includes over 200 million people, and soon, with the development of Africa, it will include 750 million. With many of the world’s leading companies in their sectors and an exceptional technological base, France is also one of the countries which attract the most students and researchers from all over the globe.

France is also a leader in research and innovation. In its latest rankings on innovation, the Thomson Reuters Institute ranked France third in the world and first in Europe. This is due to basic discoveries (such as the Higgs boson at CERN), scientific developments (such as the successful implant in 2013 of the first artificial heart), and technological innovations (such as connected objects or 3D printing of human tissues), illustrating French excellence.

France is likewise a leader when it comes to culture and design. This was true in the past and is still true today: our artists and designers are prominent on the international cultural scene. As examples, I’d like to mention today’s French Touch music, with Daft Punk receiving a Grammy Award recently, and our film industry (you probably all know the actress Sophie Marceau or the actor Alain Delon), which is number three in the world in terms of its volume of wide-ranging productions, from art house films to Luc Besson’s films with wide commercial appeal, which are very popular in China. French designers and architects who are successful all over the world and in China, not to mention our fashion designers, likewise contribute to this cultural scene.

All of this has made us a global power, an influential power whose role in the world is more important than what is reflected by its geography and IMF statistics alone.

There is another historical parameter to take into consideration. We sometimes describe today’s world as being multipolar. This is an oversimplification. For a long time, the world was bipolar – under a kind of leadership of the USSR and the United States. The world in the 90s was then briefly unipolar, under the domination of the United States alone. We hope to attain in the future an organized and peaceful multi-polarity under the auspices of the United Nations, each country organized in its own way. It is a common view of both France and China. But today, it is important to note that this has not happened. Our world is more zero-polar or apolar. This explains, in part, the difficulties the United Nations Security Council has come up against, and why it has been impossible to solve a number of crises.

There are few nations today that are able, like China, like France, to take global action and to act in a peaceful and balanced manner.

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Speaking of a zero-polar world, I have begun to address the challenges facing us. Our world is paradoxical: overall it is stable, overall it is developing, but peace and security may be threatened in a number of regions. Yet the splintering of power, which is typical in this world, makes it hard to both respond to these crises and take action to address economic, financial, social and climatic imbalances. This splintering of the world is reinforced by strategic uncertainties when it comes to some of the main players’ attitudes. This was undoubtedly one of the most striking elements of 2013. France intends to influence the world’s developments towards peace, stability, sustainable development and democracy.

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To this end, our diplomacy has determined four major lines of action, which can each be summed up in one word: peace, planet, Europe and growth.

1) The first line of French action is peace. France has endorsed this ideal of universal peace that we share, as can be seen in this beautiful expression from ancient times in China: “harmony over the four seas, great peace under heaven”.

Our world is filled with tensions, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, but also in Asia and Europe as we are reminded with the current Ukraine crisis. Accordingly, we need to join forces to preserve security and stability.

The Iran nuclear issue is paramount in this respect. An interim agreement was found after many long years of deadlock. It is an important and positive step. We now need to negotiate a final agreement, which is much more complicated. France, I believe, has taken, like China, the right position, which we plan to maintain: civilian nuclear energy yes, the atomic bomb no, in order to avoid dangerous nuclear dissemination. Our position is to remain open but firm because if an agreement with Iran is to be credible, it has to be solid.

Syria is torn by a civil war in which sectarian, religious dimensions and massive external interferences are colliding. Discussions are extremely difficult. However there is no other solution than a negotiated transition. We French people believe that a mass criminal cannot embody the future of his country. This means Mr Bashar al-Assad should leave. But we don’t accept, either, the domination of terrorist groups. In the wake of the failed Geneva II negotiations, we must maintain pressure on the regime, responsible for the deadlock, to attain progress on the humanitarian and political fronts.

Concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we will continue to support efforts to revitalize the peace process so that a roadmap can be determined. I am also thinking of transitions in the Arab world: in Tunisia – which appears to be on the right path with the recent adoption of a constitution – and in Egypt, which is more complex. I am also thinking of Afghanistan in this crucial year, with elections and the withdrawal of international combat troops coming to an end.

Africa, where China’s interests are increasingly important, will stay at the core of peace and security issues. France has set three objectives: security, development and good governance, and these three objectives are related. With regard to security, France does not intend to act as “Africa’s policeman”. Our objective is to enable Africans to take charge of their own security.

In Mali, our action in 2013 and 2014 has helped re-establish the sovereignty of a state attacked by terrorist organizations. In the Central African Republic, we are now working to prevent a humanitarian disaster by providing support to African forces. The situation remains difficult and will require considerable involvement on the part of the international community. We believe that in the CAR a peacekeeping operation under the auspices of the United Nations needs to take over from African, European and French troops. But, in the medium term, we, France and China together, support the perspective of an inter-African force to prevent and solve the crises.

In Asia, the unresolved problem of the division of the Korean peninsula remains a focal point. I know how important and sensitive this issue is to China. We share the objective of stability pursued by Chinese authorities. To make sustainable peace possible, it is essential for the international community to be united and firm about not accepting a North Korea with nuclear weapons.

In addition, we are following with concern tensions, particularly maritime, between countries in the region. They must be resolved through dialogue, through peaceful means and in compliance with international law. I am well aware that painful questions of the past remain unresolved. European countries were confronted with a rather similar challenge: overcoming divisions of the past in order to build a common future. They did so and overcame former conflicts, without ever forgetting. We are ready to share this experience.

To work together for peace: that is the main reason behind the strategic partnership built between our two countries. France and China, permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, must cooperate to assume their joint mission of safeguarding world peace and security. To do so, we need to enhance our dialogue on all issues, particularly on the security and development of Africa. I am pleased with recent steps in the right direction, especially the dispatch of Chinese peacekeepers (blue helmets) to MINUSMA in Mali and China’s active and positive participation in stabilizing the two Sudans. This stepped-up commitment opens up new possibilities for our Franco-Chinese dialogue and cooperation in the field.

2) Our second line of action is the planet. Most of the issues we are facing today are international. Yet the answers which are provided to them are often national. Our common view – that of both China and France – is that we must develop a worldwide approach, able to meet the needs of humanity for today and tomorrow.

Our planet is being seriously threatened by climate change (i. e. climate disruption). You understand this better than anyone because the Chinese civilization is based on the idea of harmony between heaven and humankind and because you are badly hit by pollution. However, climate chaos prevails, and unless powerful action is taken it will continue to prevail. This is why the preparation of the international climate conference to be held in Paris in 2015 should be a priority for us all.

People have become increasingly aware of the climate abyss in recent years, but have still failed to realize the extent of the danger. National, economic and geopolitical obstacles have prevented appropriate decisions from being taken to address the danger thus far.

France has decided to take action on this issue. The objective of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference that we will host is a universal, legally binding and differentiated agreement that limits the global temperature rise to 2°C above pre-industrial levels. This objective, which is difficult to meet because specialists are talking of a 4 to 5°C rise, is a matter of survival for many regions of the world, which are threatened by submersion, desertification, pollution and other disasters.

How should we proceed? With dialogue, listening to everyone – and particularly major actors such as China – solidarity and cooperation. I know that the Chinese people believe they have been unjustly criticized in recent years when it comes to this issue. The reality is that we share the same planet and we all must take action to ensure that is remains habitable.

France will take a positive line because the climate is not simply a responsibility to share, but also a chance to seize, the chance to come up with a development model together, so-called “green growth”. That is why industries devoted to protecting the environment and saving energy already employ 30 million Chinese workers!

China holds one of the keys to making the Paris conference successful.
In their reform strategy, the Chinese authorities have made the environment a priority. China is indeed addressing major environmental challenges. Ambitious objectives have been set for tackling climate change and ways to increase these efforts even further are being explored. China is doing a great deal at national level. Preparation of the Paris conference is an opportunity for China to showcase these efforts at international level. By taking on a leadership role in this area, in cooperation with France, China will be able to change how things are done and rally the support of the international community in order to save our common heritage. I know from my recent conversation with President Xi Jinping that he is strongly dedicated to this task.

“Planet” means also a better organisation of our planet. Since the 70s, efforts have been made in order to better cooperate: G7, then G8, then G20 meetings have been organized and they play an important role. But the UN still has to be reformed. We in France believe that the Security Council, conceived just after World War II, must be enlarged to welcome decisive new players and better reflect the state of the world. We think that new members must join the club of permanent members, such as Brazil, India, Japan, Germany and two African states. We believe, too, that some conditions must be put voluntarily to the use of veto by permanent members in order to avoid the paralysis which, for instance, has for three years prevented the Syrian tragedy from being solved. Our planet deserves better governance.

3) Europe.

Why Europe? Because we need a more balanced world and an expression exists in both Chinese and French that there is strength in numbers. The EU is the world’s leading commercial power. Backed by France and Germany from the outset, European integration is now a reality. It is also at the core of the relationship France has with China.

The main question is whether Europe genuinely wants to be a power and if the 28 nations included in the EU are ready to share a part of their sovereignty to do so. We, the French people, with others, believe that Europe can and must want this. Of course, European states will not disappear. But we must strengthen our collective action.

Meanwhile, Europe must continue efforts that have been started to really revive its economy and consolidate the Euro Area. This can happen if we achieve banking union and better governance of the Euro Area to become more effective and responsive. We are working to do this rapidly with Germany, our leading partner, in particular.

Europe has many considerable advantages. It is the number one economy in the world, ahead of the United States, accounting for over 20% of global GDP, and the world’s leading R&D hub. Its education system is highly successful. Its cultural heritage is exceptional.

And Europe and China’s prosperity are largely linked. We are your biggest market and an important source of cutting-edge technology. I hope the investment agreement under negotiation will give fresh impetus to our trade.

But this is not just a matter of the economy. China, seeking balance and stability, also needs a strong Europe on a strategic level. The emergence of a unipolar or bipolar world is not in anyone’s interest, since they are fundamentally unstable. I have noticed in my conversations with Chinese leaders that China does not want this. That is why the emergence of other stabilizing hubs, and particularly of a Europe that is strong internally and respected externally and a friend of both China and the United States, is important to you as well.

4) A dynamic economy is our final French objective, and it is essential because, in today’s world, the influence of a country and its ability to assume its sovereignty are largely linked to the strength of its economy. You are well aware of this, because for 150 years your modernization programme was summed up in the slogan “a prosperous people, a strong country”.

France has a number of advantages of which I spoke earlier, which it can use to achieve a dynamic economy. I, personally, am committed to using all these advantages to foster growth by developing economic diplomacy. In this respect, China is a priority partner with which we have developed dynamic, but unfortunately highly unbalanced,
economic relations. Our trade deficit vis-à-vis China was nearly €26 billion in 2013, or 40% of France’s total deficit. Such a deficit cannot be sustained over the long term, economically or politically.

To address this situation, we must enhance our economic partnership together and find new types of cooperation that benefit everyone on the basis of the principles of reciprocity and equity. We must, of course, continue to deepen our traditional partnerships in aeronautics, as we have here in Tianjin, and in nuclear energy. But changes in China’s development models provide new opportunities that we must turn into concrete cooperation, for instance in the areas of health, sustainable urban development, environmental technologies, the food industry, agri-business and services. We likewise hope to develop cooperation in third countries and welcome more Chinese investment in France. Operations and projects by big groups such as Hainan Airlines (Aigle Azur), Dongfeng (PSA), Fosun (Club Med) and Huawei show that this phenomenon has been taken to a new level, and I’m pleased about that.

Growth clearly occurs as a result of the development of economic exchanges, but also of the deepening of human exchanges. France would like to welcome more investors, researchers, tourists and foreign students.

This is particularly true with regard to our relations with China. China and France’s presidents have made relations between the young people of our two countries a priority. Young French people make up the largest group of European students, with 6,000 studying in Chinese schools. More and more Chinese students are choosing France and our excellent universities. There are currently over 35,000 Chinese students in France and they constitute the largest foreign student community in France. Our ambition is to increase this number to 50,000 by 2015, promoting the master and PhD programmes. I mean you are all welcome in France!

In addition to students, we would like to facilitate visits from all Chinese citizens who are interested in discovering France and in developing links with us. I have taken decisions in this direction this year and, since 27 January, France has been able to issue visas in 48 hours.

I am convinced that trust grows from a better understanding of societies. It is with this in mind that we have together come up with events that will be held throughout the year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic relations.

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Peace, planet, Europe and growth: these four priorities of French diplomacy, under the authority of President François Hollande, are at the core of developing France and China’s strategic partnership.

Since China will have growing influence throughout this century, and Europe is and will continue to be a pillar of the international system, our destinies are largely linked. To move forward, we must broaden regular, serious dialogue over the long term.

Sometimes, these two great countries can have different approaches. We must not ignore them but rather increase our exchanges. I’m thinking of certain international issues. I’m also thinking of the issue of human rights, where different historical trajectories have produced different sensibilities: nobody should force their views upon anyone else, but we believe that certain principles and rights are universal and should benefit every woman and every man in every country. This conviction is not incompatible with the tradition of Chinese philosophy. It is in line with aspirations that are increasingly expressed by Chinese society. On this basis, I believe there is much room for constructive dialogue.

France supports China’s aspirations to play its full role in global governance. The emergence of China is merely, after all, a “rebirth”, the correction of an anomaly – its 150 years eclipsed by troubles and suffering. Because we have deep friendship for the Chinese people, we are pleased with this return to geopolitical “normality” and we trust that China will harmoniously find its place on the international stage as an actor for peace, shouldering all its responsibilities to build a stable, fair and prosperous world.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear students, it is with this in mind that we are working to implement the lines of action that were emphasized when President Holland visited China in April 2013. It is the purpose of the much-anticipated state visit that President Xi Jinping will make to France at the end of March.

What are we looking for? We are seeking to build the best possible future for our two peoples and for our world, because China and France have a worldwide vision and ambition. This future belongs, first and foremost, to the young generation. That is why I am glad to speak to you today, to testify to the strength of our common heritage, 50 years after General de Gaulle’s visionary decision. I would like to express my confidence in the ability of young Chinese and French people to resolutely develop our relationship, to be entrepreneurial and innovate, which is always key to major achievements. I know that, with you, France and China’s friendship will be in good hands.

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The first time I met President Xi Jinping, I asked him respectfully what France meant to him. He answered, after a while: “excellence, romanticism and friendship”. Excellence is there, as in China, in many domains. Romanticism, too. And friendship, no doubt between China and France, has never been so strong. On many international issues we share the same vision and objectives.

May each of you experience great success in your studies and in your lives and may France and China’s friendship be long-lasting!

Thank you./.

¹The Minister spoke in English.